Caitlin Clark’s illustrious collegiate career at Iowa came to an end on Sunday night after losing to top-seeded South Carolina in the national championship game. Clark’s impact on the game is indelible. During her four seasons as a Hawkeye, the 6-foot point guard from West Des Moines broke numerous records and acted as a trailblazer for women’s basketball, propelling the sport to new heights of popularity and viewership.
Clark dominated the box score night after night during his spectacular senior season. She concluded the season averaging 31.6 points, 8.9 assists, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game, earning back-to-back National Player of the Year accolades. She is usually considered one of the best collegiate players of all time.
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Clark passed Steph Curry (Davidson) and Darius McGhee (Liberty) for the most 3-pointers in a single season by any Division I player, regardless of gender. She later broke Pete Maravich’s all-time NCAA scoring mark this season. She announced forgoing her final year of eligibility for the WNBA Draft.
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Here are 10 of Clark’s most memorable and controversial moments:
CLARK LEADS IOWA TO UPSET WIN OVER SOUTH CAROLINA IN 2023 FINAL FOUR
(Photo: Getty)
Clark put on one of the greatest performances in NCAA Tournament history in the 2023 Final Four, racking up 41 points, eight assists and six rebounds to lead Iowa past top-seed and previously undefeated South Carolina. Clark either scored or assisted on 75% of Iowa’s made baskets, and was responsible for every point scored by her team in the fourth quarter.
“Caitlin Clark is Larry Bird, point blank,” Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde posted to social media after the game. “Carrying her team to the title game.”
CLARK CAPS HISTORIC JUNIOR SEASON WITH HUGE OUTING IN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Clark dropped 30 points and totaled eight assists in Iowa’s 102-85 loss to LSU in the 2023 NCAA national championship game, breaking men’s and women’s scoring records for a single NCAA Tournament at 191 points. Her 60 assists were the most by a player in women’s tournament history. She finished her junior year with averages of 27.8 points, 8.6 assists and 7.1 rebounds per game and took home all major national player of the year awards.
“You’re a generational player,” LSU head coach Kim Mulkey told Clark after the national championship.
ANGEL REESE TAUNTS CLARK DURING TITLE, SPARKING INTENSE REACTION
Late in the national championship game, LSU star Angel Reese taunted Clark and the Hawkeyes with WWE star John Cena’s “You Can’t See Me” gesture, which drew national media ire and led to immediate questions about the move in the postgame fallout.
“All year, I was critiqued for who I was,” Reese said in response to her taunt. “I don’t fit the narrative. I don’t fit the box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. Y’all told me that all year. When other people do it, and y’all don’t say nothing. So this is for the girls that look like me. For those that want to speak up for what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you. And that’s what I (did) before tonight. It was bigger than me tonight. And Twitter is going to go into a rage every time.”
Caitlin Clark when asked about this: I have no idea, I was just trying to get to the handshake line.”
“All the credit to LSU. They deserved it. They had a tremendous season.”
“Kim Mulkey only said kind things to me in the handshake line.” https://t.co/je4FC97R3x
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) April 2, 2023
Clark took the high road in defeat and said she wasn’t bothered by Reese’s taunt.
“I was just trying to get to the handshake line and shake hands and be grateful that my team was in that position,” Clark said. “All the credit in the world to LSU. They were tremendous. They deserve it. They had a tremendous season. Kim Mulkey coached them so, so well. She’s one of the best basketball coaches of all time, and it shows. She only said really kind things to me in the handshake line, so I’m very grateful for that, too.”
OHIO STATE FAN COLLIDES WITH CLARK IN COURT-STORMING INCIDENT
Clark had to be helped off the court following a 100-92 overtime loss at Ohio State on Jan. 21 after a Buckeyes fan slammed into her while rushing the floor after the final horn. The fan can be seen colliding with Clark, who unknowingly had her head down before being spun around following the collision.
“For people that wondered why Caitlin Clark always has multiple cops around her when the game isn’t going on– it’s to protect her from morons like that,” The Hawkeye Insiders David Eickholt posted to social media. “Caitlin was in a lot of pain leaving the court.”
Here is Caitlin Clark’s collision with the fan during the court storm. pic.twitter.com/QGPty8tDbA
— CBS Sports College Basketball ? (@CBSSportsCBB) January 21, 2024
CLARK BECOMES LEADING SCORER IN WOMEN’S HISTORY
Clark became passed Kasnas’ Lynette Woodard to become NCAA’s all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball with a career-high 49 points during a 106-89 win over Michigan on Feb. 15. Clark shot 16-of-31 from the field, including 9-of-18 from 3-point range and totaled 13 assists and five rebounds in one of the single-best performances college basketball history.
“I don’t know if you can script it any better,” Clark said after the game. “I thought we played really well tonight.”
Woodard said she doesn’t think Clark broke her record.
“I am the hidden figure, but no longer now,” Woodard said this weekend at the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association convention in Cleveland. “My record was hidden from everyone for 43 years. I don’t think — I’ll just go ahead and get the elephant out of the room. I don’t think my record has been broken, because you can’t duplicate what you’re not duplicating. So unless you come with a men’s basketball and a 2-point shot, you know … but just for you, so you can understand, so you can help me spread that word.”
CLARK BECOMES LEADING SCORER IN WOMEN’S, MEN’S HISTORY
Shortly after setting the women’s record, Clark broke the NCAA all-time scoring mark on March 3, scoring 35 points against No. 2 Ohio State to pass Pete Maravich’s record of 3,667 points.
“It’s really crazy to think about, honestly,” Clark said of breaking the record. “If you would have told me that before my college career started, I would have laughed in your face and been like, ‘No, you’re insane.’ I’ve always been able to score the ball, but I don’t think people really understand how many amazing players have come before me and been able to score the ball and do it at such a high rate and do it for teams that are really, really good.”
The Greatest of All Time. @CaitlinClark22 x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/sbNpeU1zaY
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 3, 2024
THE BIG3 OFFERS CLARKS A $5 MILLION DEAL
The Big3 3-on-3 basketball league offered Clark $5 million to sign with the league on March 27. Rapper and actor Ice Cube, one of Big3’s founders, confirmed the offer on March 27. Clark has not said whether she intends to take the offer.
“We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship. But I won’t deny what’s now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark,” Ice Cube posted to social media Wednesday. “Why wouldn’t we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3.”
CLARK GETS REVENGE AGAINST LSU IN 2024 ELITE EIGHT
Clark scored a game-high 41 points and dished out 12 assists to help Iowa avenge last season’s loss to the Tigers in the national championship game. She hit nine 3-pointers — including four in the third quarter — to help break the game open in the second half. Angel Reese was 1-of-10 in the second half and fouled out with a couple of minutes remaining.
“With all due respect to all the tremendous women’s college basketball players, Caitlin Clark is the greatest offensive talent of all time,” Eickholt posted to social media during the game.
CLARK RECEIVES LASHINGS FROM WNBA LEGEND
Three-time champion and former UConn star Diana Taurasi issued a warning to Clark ahead of Iowa’s national championship loss to South Carolina.
“Reality is coming,” Taurasi recently told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. “There’s levels to this thing. That’s just life. We all went through it. You see it on the NBA side, and you’re going to see it on this side. You look superhuman playing against some 18-year-olds, but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time. Not saying it’s not going to translate, because when you’re great at what you do you’re just going to get better, but there is going to be a transition period when you have to give some grace as a rookie. It may take a little bit longer for some people.”
